Protect your computer from malware

Viruses, worms, trojans, spyware and some adware are all forms of what can be more broadly termed “malware”. The different names categorise the different mechanisms they employ to infect your computer.

Malware may damage your operating system, affect your programs, delete files or, in an extreme case, delete your entire hard disk.

Other examples are more benign, merely replicating and announcing themselves with text, video or audio messages. However, even the apparently harmless ones take up computer resources and often result in erratic, slow behaviour and frequent system crashes.

Malware broadly exists because some individuals have learned more about how their computer works than most of us, and they are determined to let the rest of us know it!

The first examples of malware were identified on closed computer systems in the 1970s. The growth of modem dial-up and bulletin boards in the 1980s allowed malware to spread more widely.

The advent over the past decade or so of the internet and always-on broadband have fuelled the ability of malware to spread to the extent that it is now a fact of everyday computer life.

You must install antivirus canada software on all your workstations. There are free versions available of some antivirus software, but the fine print of the licence often excludes anything other than personal use.

I would recommend choosing a well known software that updates virus definitions constantly. And don’t fall into the trap of thinking that if you have an Apple computer, you are immune. OSX malware is rare, but does exist — and is increasing. If you use Microsoft Office applications, your Apple computer can be infected by and become a carrier for macro viruses such as those that infect Word files.

source:bdonline.co.uk